Political crisis:

A Holt out of the blue

Former Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt, has sparked a political upheaval after wading ashore at Portsea Beach in Victoria yesterday.
A fit but weary Mr Holt, now 92, said he looked forward to getting back to work at the nation’s helm after completing a 33-year non-stop around-the-world swim.
The return of Mr Holt – previously thought to have died after disappearing while swimming in heavy seas off Portsea in December 1967 – has generated Australia’s biggest constitutional crisis since the last one.
Governor-General, Sir William Deane, was locked in meetings with legal experts late last night, examining the ramifications of Mr Holt’s reappearance.
Senior government sources said Sir William was expected to dismiss the Howard Government today and recommission Mr Holt to re-form a government.
The sources said Sir William believed he was obliged to take such action because Mr Holt had never resigned his commission and had never been deposed as Prime Minister.
A Liberal Party MP who did not want to be named, yesterday said the current Prime Minister, John Howard, was under extreme pressure from within the party to stand down.
The pressure is understood to have increased markedly since news broke of Mr Holt’s return.
Another government MP said: “Holt’s return is a godsend. Howard is a man whose view of the world is stuck in the 1950s. At least Holt is a decade ahead of him.”
While Liberal Party aides were clearly delighted with their former leader's return, one couldn't help a telling aside: "He's got even more wrinkles than John Gorton ever had in the early 60s."
Deeply wrinked from head to toe the former Australian leader certainly is, but how much of this is due to his being 92 and how much is due to being immersed in water for three decades is something the party spin doctors will have to address quickly in the television-driven politics of the 21st Century.
But one thing they won't have to worry about is Mr Holt's legendary command of the English language.
At the beachside news conference, Mr Holt spoke fluently as he declared he would take immediate action as Prime Minister on a number of fronts.
“I expect my first priority will be to tackle our unacceptably high unemployment rate of almost two percent,” Mr Holt said.
“Inflation is also far too high at almost one-quarter of a percent, although the last Treasury brief I read suggested the rate could have been affected by the introduction of decimal currency.
“I’ll also be considering how the government can boost Australia’s trade effort – more than likely by imposing more tariffs on imports.
“When I can, I also plan to make a flying visit to our boys in Vietnam – after consulting with LBJ of course.”
Mr Holt said he would continue his keen interest in new communications technology.
“I’ll be making sure the PMG keeps pace with technological advances,” he said.
“For example, we need to ensure that all Australians – wherever they live – have access to an STD phone line.
“Such cutting-edge technology should not be reserved only for those in our bigger capital cities.”
When questioned, Mr Holt said he did not expect to have to spend much time dealing with Aboriginal issues.
“I’m yet to be fully briefed, but I guess most of the problems facing Aborigines have been solved while I was away, following the passing of the 1967 referendum giving them equal rights to their fellow Australians,” Mr Holt said.
Mr Holt spent last night in a Melbourne hotel watching colour television.
Opposition Leader, Kim Beazley, said he was pleased to see Mr Holt return safely to Australia.
However, Mr Beazley also called for an urgent audit of the federal parliamentary superannuation scheme.
Mr Beazley said the former Prime Minister’s return pointed to a potential bankrupting of the scheme once Mr Holt – a Member of Parliament since 1935 – decided to retire.